Ali Williams doesn’t enjoy the pressure of World Cup rugby and believes it negatively influences the standard of the game.

Williams claimed he had been “dragged down” by the tournament in France last year, and said the boring style of rugby was to the detriment of the game.

“The game of rugby is running rugby, isn’t it? It [the World Cup] is a pressure cooker and brings out a different style. It’s not the sort of rugby I enjoy,” Williams told the Dominion Post.

He also complained about the pressure the All Blacks received from the public and media. “It just became a pain in the ass more than anything.”

Williams also had a dig at the Springboks and their style in winning the Webb Ellis Trophy, as he believes a match such as their 101-14 rout over an under-strength Samoan team was more entertaining than those in the World Cup.

“You’d far rather watch some of these games than you would some of those [World Cup] games.”